Green eyed Firebender
by lalalerah
Summary: Zuko is after the Avatar like always, but what happens when a certain girl is found floating in the frozen ocean? Who is Zeph, and what do her green eyes mean for the banished prince? ZukoXOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I'm a simple being really, all I want from you guys is feedback, be it praise or flames or whatever. So review and I'll be active with this story :)**

Zuko's POV

I paced the deck of my ship in full self-loathing mode. The crew knew the signs by now, so they stayed out of sight. Only my foolish Uncle would see me when I was like this. But right now even he was absent, probably doing something with his beloved tea. With an anguished cry I shot fire out of my right fist, not even bothering to turn and see what it was that I had set ablaze. I could have been a crewmember for all I knew, but I felt no regret. Not regret, no mercy, no guilt. Those were my policies. They kept my on top of my game. But for what? For the slim chance that I would capture the Avatar and regain my honor? The task seemed impossible, which was probably why my father gave it to me. He didn't really want me back, after all he had Azula, the perfect fire princess. With another cry I kicked out and sent a whip of fire out of my foot. All the training in the world couldn't restore my honor, though, nor could it gain me the love and respect I craved from my father.

"Prince Zuko." My Uncles voice shook my out of my trance and I was almost glad to hear his voice. Almost.

"What is it?" I asked in monotone, not bothering to turn around. The cold air whipped around my bare chest. Just moments earlier I had been training, that was until I spiraled into such a rage that not even my bravest men would spar with me.

"We picked up someone who we found floating in the ocean." He replied in a calm voice. I looked at him over my left shoulder, staring at him out of my scarred eye.

"Why would you do that?" I turned to face him fully, feeling my anger double.

"Because she is from the Fire Nation."

"As if I care!" I roared. "As if I still felt any loyalty to that Nation! As if I need a stray Fire Nation girl aboard my ship!" My Uncles calm gaze rattled my bones, it always did, but I never let him know that. I went back to the front of the ship and gazed out over the rough water. "Get her off my ship. By any means necessary."

"Prince Zuko!" My Uncle gasped. "Surely you do not mean what you say!" I glanced back at him. "To throw a young lady overboard! I will not have it!"

"Do whatever you want." I finally replied with a sigh. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed." I brushed past my Uncle and was almost inside the ship when I felt his hand on my shoulder.

* * *

"Zuko." He came closer and whispered in my ear. My eyes widened at his words, it couldn't be!I gave my Uncle a grave nod before continuing to my room.

My room was the perfect Fire Nation room. The large bed was draped in all red silk, the walls were made of metal with Fire Nation banners hung everywhere possible. I had a large red dresser in one corner and a red desk in the other. On the left side of my room were to red doors that lead to my red bathroom. Everywhere I went I was surrounded by red, the color of fire. I trudged inside my personal haven and began to peel off my sweaty pants, leaving me only in a pair of boxers, which were red. I threw the clothing too the side, grabbed some _black_ pajamas, and began heading to my bathroom when I heard a girly snicker.

"What are you doing?" Came a female voice from behind me. I turned slowly to face the very girl that I had had a previous conversation with my Uncle about. She had shoulder length black hair with straight bangs, a thin nose and chin, full lips, and piercing green eyes rimmed with dark lashes. She was perched on my bed, the silk sheets wrapped around her because she had nothing on underneath.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I replied in a low voice. "I'm about to take a shower in _my_ bathroom. The real question is what are you doing in _my_ bed?"

"I don't know." The girl who looked around my age stood, taking the sheet with her. "I just woke up and here, and I was naked by the way." She added with an accusing glare.

"Don't look at me!" I shouted, my patience wearing thin. "I haven't even seen you before now! My men fished you out of the freezing ocean and probably took your clothes so you wouldn't die of hypothermia, you ungrateful brat!" The girl looked a little shocked at the story she was just told, but then a moment later it was as if she just got over it.

"Oh, I see. Well, thank you for saving me." She bowed lowly but never broke eye contact, as if reminding me of who she was, what she could do.

"What's your name." I grumbled, not replying to her thanks. No regret, no mercy, no guilt.

The green-eyed girl straightened up from her bow at the waist and boldly stuck out her right hand. "Zephina. But you can call me Zeph for short."

I glared at her hand. "Good to know." Without another word I turned and strode to my bathroom, slamming the door behind me just as Zeph called out "Do you think they'll bring my clothes back soon?".

A frustrated sigh broke my lips. Oh, how I longed to just throw her overboard! But I couldn't, even if my Uncle was okay with it. Because Zeph would kill me, after all she was a green-eyed firebender.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N So yay, here's chapter two! And I know I forgot a disclaimer on chapter one, so maybe if you squint your eyes and tilt your head to the side that will help. Thanks a bunch and review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA and I never will, it makes me sad.**

Zeph's POV

Zuko slammed the door to what I assumed was his bathroom behind him, making me flinch. The banished prince sure had anger issues. Issues like that made my mission a little harder to complete, but I was not going to give up now. I had not almost froze myself to simply throw the towel in. The sound of running water filled the room. I sighed and laid back on the bed, _his_ bed. The whole place smelled of him, a mixture of spice, mint, and smoke. Overall very mouthwatering. Too bad he had to act the way he did, but did I really expect anything different? His home life growing up must've been terrible. Just like mine.

I took the time I was given to reflect and meditate. Pulling myself into a sitting position, I rearranged my make-shift dress and began to remember just exactly why I was here. I thought back to when I was 13. It seemed so long ago even though it had been only 3 short years. I remembered the orphanage that I grew up in, seeing as I was abandoned by my parents. All because of my eyes. The Nurses voice from my home since I could remember echoed through my head, explaining on why I was there. Her words had shook me, giving me nightmares as she told me that my parents wanted a firebender for a child, and even though I possessed the talent I'd have to give it up. Because of the color of my eyes. I was a green-eyed firebender, and if I didn't give up my bending, then I'd be taken out by the Fire Nation Army before I could learn to bend.

My flashback suddenly switched to a scene I used to have dreams about. No, not dreams but nightmares.

_ "Zephina! I have you now!" The cruel voice of one of the older girls at the orphanage bounced off the walls, making it to my hiding place underneath the stairs. A moment later the girls leering face appeared right in front of me, her amber eyes glowing wickedly._

_ "I'm sorry!" I wailed. Even though I was 13 I couldn't protect myself from this girl. At least not without bending, and I was thought to have given that up already. The girl was 17, almost 18, and as cruel as the Fire Lord himself._

_ "Oh, you will be!" She grabbed my by the hair and dragged me out into the hallway. All around up were the other girls and boys from the orphanage, chanting 'fight'. The older girl's name was Azrah, and she terrorized the home. "You took the last cupcake, the one that was mine!" Azrah announced my crime to her audience. They started booing me and I felt tears run down my face._

_ "But you ate them all!" I shouted, becoming angry. "It wasn't fair! I only wanted one!"_

_ "You know the rules!" The older girl brought her fist back to punch and I got that funny feeling in the pit of my stomach, the one that made me think that I was about to explode. Normally I crawled into a dark corner when I felt like this, but now I had no where to go. No way to control myself. All too soon Azrah's fist came flying towards me and connected with my chin. I flew back into the wall behind me, leaving a hole. The feeling in the pit of my stomach expanded, filling me with fire. I stood up out of the rubble and screamed. The whole room became silent as flames erupted from my fists and I launched myself at Azrah. The girl barely managed to dodge my attack, jumping to the side at the last minuet. I turned around and saw my reflection in Azrah's amber eyes. My face looked wild and my green eyes seemed to glow. With a sadistic thought I raised my face to the sky, or rather to look up all 5 stories of the orphanage, and let out a brutal scream. The noise wretched itself from my throat, allowing all the fire I'd been holding in over the past 8 years to shoot out of me. When I'd finally stopped I looked around. Everything was burning, the house where I'd lived for the past 12 years was set ablaze, and I couldn't seem to care. Everyone had run off, everyone except Azrah. She'd been the closets to me and she'd been sent flying backwards into the stairs. The blow must have knocked her out because she laid unconscious before me. I took one last look at her face before turning and calmly walking out the backdoor, leaving her to burn along with my childhood._

I gasped for air as I was violently wrenched from my flashback. It was horrible, every time I looked back I felt just how out of control I was. I was never allowed a teacher like the rest of the firebenders, I was never even allowed to make a small flame, for that very reason. I was supposed to give firebending up, to relinquish my power, a task only green-eyed firebenders could accomplish. But I didn't. It was my only form of defense and I just couldn't. So I'd fled, but not after setting the orphanage on fire, all because I didn't have control. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding in with a deep sigh.

"A lot on your mind?" Zuko's voice came out of no where, pulling me all the way back into the present. He was pulling on a red shirt before slipping on his armor over it.

"Not really! Just trying to meditate!" I gave the prince my famous, cheery smile but he didn't seem to believe me. The grin tried to slip off my face but I wouldn't let it, no one had ever second-guessed that smile.

"I'm going to eat dinner. You should...do something with yourself." Zuko barked at me like he was ordering a slave around. I felt my anger flare but didn't let the smile on my face fade. I needed him on my side.

"Could I come with you? I'm starving." I heard my girly voice ring out. "Near-death experiences always take a lot out of me." Prince Zuko rolled his eyes at me and then left, but he kept the door open. Taking that as a 'yes', I shuffled out after him, trying to tie the sheets around me so that I wouldn't have to hold them up with a hand. I saw the boy in front on me glance over his shoulder. Zuko was trying to read me, but if he thought it was going to be that easy he had another thing coming. I beamed at him and watched smugly as his eyebrow furrowed. He moved his head back to face front and I was able to focus more on my surroundings. We were walking down a metal hallway; Zuko's feet tapped along but I padded silent behind him. Every now and then there would be a Fire Nation tapestry hung on the wall, or a couple of doors which I figured had to be the crew's rooms. I tried to take everything in, every turn we made down the windy hallway, but my gaze always settled back to the figure in front of me. Zuko's head was shaved, save for the long, glossy pony-tail that hung proudly off of it. The chunk of thick hair looked soft and silky to the touch, and I had to retrain myself from reaching out and gabbing it, from running my fingers trough it. At the thought my hands twitched and I cursed under my breath. Once again Zuko looked back at me, though this time it was over his left shoulder so all I could see was his scar.

One would think that such a scar would make him ugly, but Zuko pulled it off. I found myself staring back at him in aw. Sure, it had hurt when I was told that my parents didn't want me because of my green eyes, but I didn't have to hear it from them. Zuko...Zuko's own father had done that to him, had burned his own son. I couldn't tear my eyes off of that scar, the result of the prince refusing to fight his father in an Agni Kai. What kind of father would challenge his son to a duel anyways? Let alone scar and banish him for not fighting back. I tore my gaze off of Prince Zuko and headed it back down to the ground in front of me.

"We're here." Zuko's voice was rough as he led me into a large room. All around me were tables and cushions and a sort of long table where all sorts of food was laid out. I watched as members of the crew went through the line, picking up what they wanted and heaping it onto their plate. "You can sit wherever you like." I followed the prince's finger as he randomly pointed to a table. I stopped, ready to sit down with him, but he kept walking.

"Where are you going?" I called out.

"I'm going to eat in my private dinning hall." Was the gruff reply I got from him.

"Couldn't I go with you?" I glanced around nervously at the crew, who were staring at me like they hadn't seen a girl in years. Which they probably hadn't. Of course I wasn't fearing for myself, I never did. Instead I was fearing for my mission, if they caused me to explode then that's be it. I turned my pleading eyes back to Zuko. He stood in front of me, his strong arms crossed over his chest.

"My Uncle probably wants to talk to you anyways." With that he spun on his heel and stalked off again, leaving me to scurry behind him. In many ways I felt like a dog, a stray that the prince had been guilt-tripped into keeping whether he liked it or not. The feeling made my blood boil, he was just so infuriating, no matter what he did. But I had to keep my calm. I had to.

Zuko paused only briefly to fling open to wide, red doors at the other end of the mess hall before storming inside. I followed more timidly and was struck dumb. In the middle of the private dinning hall was a huge, red table made out of exotic wood. It stretched the entire length of the room, but only one person was seated at it. An old man with a gray beard and gold eyes looked up as we entered. A large grin broke out on his face.

"It's good to see that you are up. I was afraid that you were lost to us." Wisdom seeped out of the man's mouth in such a way that I wanted to do nothing but listen to him talk for days.

"Yes, thank you very much for rescuing me." I gave a small bow before walking over to the old man. "My name is Zephina, but I go by Zeph." It was a great relief to me when he took my out stretched hand and gave it a friendly shake.

"I am Iroh, but you can call my Uncle. Just like my nephew!" I glanced over a Zuko who looked like he wanted to do nothing more than blast us both with the raw energy I knew he had. "Please, take a seat and have some breakfast. I know! I'll get you some tea!" Uncle got up and left then, leaving me to sit across from an easily angered prince.

"I like your Uncle." I stated mildly. Zuko raised his head just enough to glare at me. The expression on his face frightened me, for me this time. I sat there, relishing the feeling. Zuko scared me, and it was great.

"Listen, pheasant." His words seemed to hiss from his mouth like smoke. I shrank back a little bit. "I don't care who you like, I don't care who you hate, I don't care about you. If it were up to me, you'd have never been fished out of the ocean. You're lucky my Uncle is soft, but here's a warning: I am not. I want nothing more but to toss you overboard and be done with this." Zuko's tone never increased, it stayed low and deadly through out his whole monologue.

"Well, there's a problem with your wants, Zuko." I said, my confidence being boosted back up as I grinned at him like a mad man, feeling my eyes glow slightly. "You couldn't do that even if you tried."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Chapter tres. Hope you guys like it, thanks to all who review!**

Zuko's POV

I glared into the grinning green eyes across the table from me. This girl, she was infuriating! When I had first begun to threaten her, she had shrunk back in fear. The normal response. But then she threatened me! The room was filled with silent tension. I wanted Zeph gone and I wanted her gone now!

"Why is it so quiet in here?" My Uncle's voice rang out as he made his was over to the girl with his pot of tea. Gently, he poured he a cup and returned to his seat right next to her. "What happened while I was gone?"

"Nothing." I replied sharply, not taking my eyes off of Zeph. The girl continued to stare back smugly, as if she had no reason to fear me. But then again, she probably didn't have a reason to fear me. All because of her green eyes. "I'm going to my room, I'll finish dinner in there." I stood, grabbed my bowl, and began to leave. Right before I slammed the door I heard my Uncle ask "How come we found you floating in the ocean of the South Pole, Zephina?" Part of me wanted to stay and hear her answer, but the rest of me started screaming that I shouldn't care. It didn't matter anyways, I'd hear the story soon enough. With that I finished the motion of slamming the large metal door and wound my way back to my room.

After eating the remainder of my meal, I sat cross legged on my bed and tried to meditate. So many questions were flowing through my mind though, it was hard to concentrate. My thoughts swirled around Zeph, the green-eyed firebender. I'd heard the legends growing up, I knew what they could do. Green-eyed firebenders were the most powerful benders out there, being blessed by the dragons. It was a rare trait, that didn't follow any sort of blood line, which made a lot of people mad. Before my great grandfather, the green-eyed firebenders were the Fire Lords. They would come together from all over the Fire Nation to battle. Normally there were about three males who duked it out over the title. Then, the winner would become the Fire Lord until he died and the battle would begin again. That all changed with my great grandfather's father. He was the last green-eyed Fire Lord, and he decided that he wanted the throne to be passed down through his blood line. Thus making my great grandfather the very first Fire Lord who didn't have the power of a green-eyed firebender. This change in tradition, however, made a lot of people mad. Especially the green-eyed firebenders who had been waiting to battle for the throne since they could remember. My great grandfather received many threats and went through many small uprisings before his patience snapped. Fed up with it all, he ordered the genocide of the green-eyed firebenders. At first the bloodshed was terrible, the green-eyed could take out half an army with their power, but were taken down mainly by sneak attacks. Then, an elderly green-eyed firebender came up with a solution to ended to genocide. He figured out how to give up his powers, returning them to the dragon spirit which had originally blessed him. Soon it was decreed that all green-eyed firebenders had to do this or face the death sentence.

And all of this led me back to the fact that I had a green-eyed firebending girl aboard his ship. Though she had made no indication that she could bend, I could feel it coming off of her. The raw power that came from her glowing green eyes. Zeph had not relinquished her powers to the dragon spirit, and was now the biggest threat I had ever face. I thought back to my great grandfather Sozin. Shortly after the genocide he began his plan to rule the world, making it all Fire Nation. But all the history in the world couldn't save me now. I had to make a decision soon, I just didn't know my options yet.

"Zuko?" Came a girly voice. I opened my eyes to see Zeph peek her head around the door. _Speak of the devil, _I thought bitterly to myself. Zeph's green eyes seemed to glow, her black hair setting them off along with her white skin. Not a bad face, even pretty, but utterly terrifying. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I muttered and she slipped the rest of her body inside and shut the door behind her. My eyes narrowed, who said she had permission to be here! This was my room! But before I could begin my rant, she opened her pretty little mouth.

"Can I um, can I talk to you?" I leaned back against my pillows and crossed my arms, but nodded my content. She looked so shy and insecure at the moment, it unnerved me. Zeph flashed me a wary smile before sitting on the edge of my bed, not looking at me. She must have gotten her old clothes back, because she was wearing an old tattered pheasant dress and what looked like hand-made slippers. I stared at her, waiting for her to talk. "I wasn't marooned on an iceberg by earthbenders like I told your uncle." My right eyebrow shot up in response to her confession. "I followed your ship here and threw myself into the ocean, hoping you would pick me up." Her gaze lifted and landed on me. "I needed to get on board."

"So you throw yourself into the ocean?" I cried out, feeling my temper flare. Why was this green-eyed firebender acting so humbly? "Why didn't you just storm the deck and find me?"

"Because I need you Zuko, in a different way then you think." I stayed silent, in shock. Zephina let out a sigh before beginning again in a strong voice. "Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, I would like you to be my master and teach my the art of firebending."

At that point I was pretty sure my mouth had fallen open. She wanted me? Me? The banished prince to teach her firebending. As if she had suddenly remembered something, Zeph slid off my bed and onto her knees before bowing so low that her forehead was on the ground. I still didn't move. "I'm not a master." I was finally able to manage so sort of coherent words.

"Oh, but you are!" Zeph straightened up and looked pleadingly into my eyes. "I've heard about you, about what you've done! You've even beaten General Zhao in an Agni Kai!"

My head lowered a little at her praise. "I didn't kill him." I murmured, looking away as I remembered that fateful day. It was true, I had beaten the General, but I didn't have the guts to kill him.

"But that just makes you stronger! And a better teacher for me! I've already killed one person with my out-of-control firebending, I don't want it to happen again." Something in the girl's voice made me look up, only to be met with the sight of her green eyes crying a single tear. At that instant I felt a connection. I didn't know Zeph's past, but for some reason I felt as if it resembled mine, and I had the urge to tell her yes. But what kind of prince would that make me?

"I'll think about it." I said coldly. "After all, I am still hunting the Avatar, and you will only slow me down." The look in Zeph's eyes said 'never', but she kept her mouth shut. "You are dismissed."

But the girl didn't rise. "Your Uncle said that I would be sleeping in here." She whispered. I felt my anger grow, how dare my Uncle! Was this his room? No! But I couldn't kick her out now, for fear that Iroh would do something to upset the fragile peace I had aboard my ship.

"I'm going to get ready for bed." I got up and grabbed my pajamas, some blankets, and an extra pillow. I threw the last to items to Zeph, who was still kneeling. "Make yourself a bed and go to sleep."

I stalked to my bathroom and changed. Afterwords I washed my face and stared at my reflection. My options were finally given to me; I could either teach the green-eyed firebender firebending, or turn her into the Fire Nation.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I just realized that I was going way out of order from the tv show. Of course I don't mind but I felt that I should tell you that it's going to be way out of whack in terms of sequencing, so just forget about the show and enjoy my own story! Review please!**

Zeph's POV

I groaned as I felt something very solid connect with my side. A second later there was a loud thump. I sat up from my make-shift bed on Prince Zuko's floor and tried to peer around in the pitch black. Suddenly the whole room was lit up by the intense blaze coming from both of Zuko's fists. Apparently he had tripped over me, and now he turned to glare, still on one knee.

"I'm sorry." I muttered a little distractedly, my gaze intent on his flames. With a low growl the firebender stood up the rest of the way and shook out his shoulders. Almost immediately the room became dark again. I stared at the place where he had been in awe, he truly was an amazing firebender, to have that much control while doing even the simplest of tasks, like being a human torch. There was a rustling noise as Zuko climbed in bed, then all was silent. I sighed to myself, how I longed to bend like he did.

I must have drifted to sleep shortly after that, because I was woken up later by a small light. Feeling like I was never going to get any sleep, I sat up and grumbled, looking for the source of the flame. Prince Zuko was sitting up in bed, holding a small fire in his palm, staring at me. At first all I could do was gaze at the light, watching how it danced in the boy's palm but didn't burn him, how it seemed to inhale and exhale along with it's master, how the color of it matched Zuko's eyes. As a matter of fact, I was so enthralled with his bending that the prince had to clear his throat in order to redirect my attention on to him. We locked eyes and my breathing became shallow, I felt like he was sizing me up, determining something about me in his mind. From my position down on the ground the feeling of intimidation he instilled in me was heightened. Then, just as quickly as the flame had come, it was gone. With one last smirk Zuko snapped his fist closed with a quiet pop and the room was once again pitch black. I laid down on my make-shift bed, my eyes unwilling to close. Zuko's smirk had given it away, the banished prince had made up his mind on what to do with me, and I could only hope the outcome was for the best.

The streaming of bright sunlight was what woke me up. Feeling the pleasant warmth of the rays on my face, I yawned and stretched. I hadn't gotten a good night's sleep last night, so I'd probably slept in later than I'd meant to. Sitting up, I took in the now familiar sight of Prince Zuko's room. The walls were the same, the bed was unmade but the same. But something was off. I quickly searched to walls for a source of sunshine, but they were windowless. Slowly I turned to look the door, coming face to face with the bright light and an angry Zuko.

"It's about time you woke up." His voice was in monotone but he still managed to convey his anger. My eyes focused behind him on the few rays of sunlight that had somehow made it all the way down the hallway and into his room. Slowly I stood, trying to push my blankets out of his way as he strode past me.

"Could I maybe take a shower?" I asked nervously, running a hand through my greasy hair. Zuko went to his desk and grabbed a small towel, wiping the sweat off his brow before studying a chart in front of him.

"Why would you do that?" He answered me after a long moment of silence. I waited until he straightened back up and turned towards me. "You'd just get all sweaty again during training." The right corner of his lips twitched in attempt not to smile as the breath I had been holding left me in a huff. "I've been out there for two hours already."

And with that I squealed. I squealed like a little girl who got what she wanted most for her birthday, like fan-girl who had been camped out all night to see the pre-banished prince and then got to see him come out, like a child who had found a puppy and was told they could keep it. "Thank you thank you thank you!" I chanted as I rushed over to Zuko and gave him the biggest hug I could muster. Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as I crushed his strong body to my own. The smell of spice, mint, and smoke that had been ever-present in the room was much more concentrated on his being, and I almost groaned at how much I loved the smell. Zuko radiated heat, and in that instant I felt as if I'd never be cold again.

Then the prince cleared his throat. "Well, yes. You're very welcome. But be warned." I drew back slightly in shock at his change in tone. Now he was smiling at me, his eyes focusing over my shoulder as he thought of something else. "After you are trained you will find a way to re-pay me."

I stood out on the deck of Zuko's ship. The frigid air whipped around me and I felt over exposed. My dress from the orphanage, which I had just gotten back last night, was currently replaces by a revealing training outfit. The baggy red pants rested low on my hips and the sheer top didn't begin until right under my boobs. Though it did have long sleeves, the top's material provided no warmth.

"Before we start actually training, I need to have an idea on how much power is in you. Zuko's indifferent voice came from behind me and I turned to see him on top of the roof of his ship. "Let's see a fireball."

"I don't know if I can do that." My voice wavered. This was truly terrifying, to be asked to unleash the force with in you that had previously caused so much destruction. "I don't know if I can do anything."

"Zeph." The prince sighed as if he was having to explain something to a small child. "We are on a metal ship in the middle of an arctic ocean. Nothing is going to catch fire." Unable to find any fault in his logic, I nodded my consent and took a deep breath.

I spent a couple of minuets just staring out over the ocean, thinking. I honestly had no idea how to firebend anything. What had happened three years ago was a freak accident. "It's like a dance." Zuko's song like voice balled out. "Just do what feel right. Listen to your own body." That gave me an idea. I closed my eyes and focused on the energy humming within me. When I was little the feeling of all this power used to scare me. Whenever my adrenaline kicked in it was so overpowering that I ran ran from the whole situation. Which meant that I had ran from every adoption interview I had ever had. And now here I was, being encouraged to use my deadly power. But I couldn't back out now, I'd come to far.

So with a deep breath, I began to move. At first I felt silly, but having my eyes closed helped. My right arm lifted on its own accord. It rose vertically and moved to my side until it was sticking straight out. Next my wrist flicked up and my palm faced the ocean. Outside it was cold, freezing actually, but the fire raging inside of me kept me warm. I stood still for a second, mapping out my next few moves. Something told me that whatever I was going to do needed to be done fast in order to use all of the pent up energy I had.

My eyes shot open, and I moved.

Everything was happening at once. My arms were twirling around, creating shapes and forms while I bent my knees and took light steps, as if dancing. With one twirl I was facing the left side of the ship. My right arm went behind me, my left down in front, and then they came together with blinding fast speed until my wrists were pressed together, my right fingers pointing up and my left fingers pointing down. As soon as I had begun to move, the ball of burning fire that usually resided around my heart grew and raced through my veins. Now, it was in my arms and with a loud cry I sent it all outwards, over the side of the ship. A blinding blue light filled my eyes and forced me to look away. My hair was whipped back out of my face by the blast of energy.

And then it was all gone. The blue light faded, and my arms fell to my sides. For a second I simply stood catching my breath. The crushing feeling that was usually in my chest was strangely gone, and my whole body seemed to hum with the left over energy. Once I regained control over my limbs, I straightened up and turned to face Zuko, who was staring at me with his mouth slightly open. I waited, still breathing heavy, for him to say something.

"That wasn't a ball of fire." He said simply, still staring at me with wide eyes. I sighed and bowed my head, I knew it hadn't of been. Fire was orange and red, not bright blue and white. What was wrong with me? Here I was, a green-eyed firebender, and I couldn't even manage a ball of fire. Surly I must have let Zuko down, but he continued in his slightly awed tone. "That was a ball of lightning!"

My head shot up. Lightning? I didn't even know firebenders could bend lightning! "You! Get my Uncle!" Prince Zuko commanded to one of the guards before jumping off the roof and landing a ways away from me. Slowly he took off his outer robe, revealing his large chest, defined abs, and muscled arms. My eyes grew as he approached me with a slight smile on his face. "You are very powerful, and will be of great use to me." His voice was barely over a whisper as he circled me. I shivered under the weight of his gaze. Finally he came back around to the front of me and took a fighting stance. "Now get ready for training."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I'm actually kind of embarrassed you guys. I went back and closely read all of my chapters of this story and was horrified! There were grammar mistakes and just plain out mistakes and my gosh! I'm sorry! I'm not usually this sloppy. Hopefully I didn't miss anything with this new chapter, I re-read it a bunch of times. Also, if you would please notice, it's very long, which is why it took me a while to update. So review and don't be afraid to tell me something's wrong, like the dinner/breakfast mix up in chapter 2. What I'm trying to say here is review!**

Zuko's POV

I collapsed on my bed as soon as I entered my room. Training with Zeph took way too much out of me. I knew I needed a shower but me legs were screaming at me as it was. A second later the green-eyed firebender stumbled in to the darkness. At least she seemed to be as tired as me, she didn't even make it to the bathroom. With an almost inhuman groan Zeph fell to the floor. I wasn't sure if she had found her blankets.

"Are you as exhausted as I am?" Her light voice seemed to cut through the black of my room, hitting my ears with an unusual echo. My lips curled back into a slight grin at her question.

"Probably not, but right now I can't feel from the waist down." I heard a chuckle from her general area and it seemed to bring the life back to me. Or at least it brought my situation back to mind. "I'm going to take that shower now." Pulling myself up into a sitting position proved harder than I had originally thought but I managed to get out of my bed, grab my regular clothes, and stumble to the bathroom.

"Zuko." I paused in the doorway, listening for that pleasing voice again. "Don't use all of the hot water." I smiled to the darkness but answered seriously.

"You could always bend it hotter with a flame." Not bothering to hear Zeph's sassy reply I entered the room adjourned to mine. All around me the red tile seemed to shine and glow and I felt a new appreciation for the color of the fire nation.

Feeling refreshed after my shower, I left my red bathroom and returned to my red bedroom. It was dark in there, and silent except for the steady breathing of the girl I knew to be around somewhere. My hair dripped water and I shook my head to get rid of the excess. Suddenly everything was lit up by a bright light, and I squinted to see Zeph standing in front of me. She had a red towel around her that set off her pale skin, her original outfit was thrown over her left arm and she held a small ball of fire in her right palm. A slight smile grew on my face as I took her in, including her mad expression. Zeph's black hair was still messy from training, and it hung limply around her face which was wet from my hair. My eyes followed the curve of her neck till I was studying her bare collarbone and shoulders. When the green-eyed firebender had first arrived on my ship, she'd been skinny but in an underfed way. 10 days of good meals and training had turned her body into a lithe fighting machine. My gaze swept over the fluffy towel that had no story to tell until I came to her legs. They were long and elegant, with more muscle then the average girl, but they still lead to delicate ankles and small feet. Once my mental inventory was done, I pulled my head back up and my eye's met with Zeph's. She was glowering at my smirking face, still wet.

"You're getting good." I nodded towards her fireball before brushing past her.

"And you're about to get a dose of karma." She growled out before entering my bathroom and slamming the doors behind her. Not sure what she had meant exactly, I lit three of my many candles and went over to my large wardrobe. Inside was my armor, and I quickly lifted it out and put it on. There was really no need for it, but I couldn't let the crew see me without it. It was like my security blanket. Along with my armor came my straight face, my mask of indifference that I always wore. For the crew, I was either angry of impassive. Which was how I wanted it. I was the prince of the Fire Nation, whether I was banished or not had nothing to do with the crew members. Slowly, I reached up to my face with my left hand and touched my scar. I was banished, and all I could do about it was capture the avatar.

I thought back to the night when I had told Zeph I would train her. It was 9 nights ago, but I could remember as if it were yesterday. I had gone to bed thinking that I was going to turn her in, but then something happened. I had a dream. In that dream were two dragons, a red one and a blue one. I was the Fire Lord, and my mother was there. The blue dragon kept telling me to sleep, and I wanted to listen for I was tired. But the red dragon told me to beware the blue dragon, and it told me to run. Then my mother, who had been standing right in front of me, disappeared. I tired to go after her, but my father appeared in front of me. Suddenly I was no longer the Fire Lord, but a 13 year old boy. The left side of my face burned as if it were on fire, and my father, Fire Lord Ozai, pointed to something. It was the avatar, his eyes and arrows were glowing. I reached out to grab him but he left in the form of a wind tunnel. I turned back to my dad, to ask him what it all meant, but he too was gone, and the giant doors to the Fire Nation palace were closing on me. Then it was suddenly clear to me, I had to capture the avatar if I ever wanted to return to my family, to my home. I spun around, suddenly finding myself on a ship. My Uncle Iroh was there, and he came forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. Time passed by quickly in my dream, until I was at my current age. I searched the sky for the avatar, but saw nothing. Suddenly, a green dragon with green eyes flew past me, the avatar on its back. I called out to it, but it kept circling my ship. Finally I became so frustrated that I threw a ball of fire at it. The green dragon caught the fireball with it's front paws and landed on the deck of my ship, playing with it. I rushed forward, captured that avatar, and put him in the cell of the ship. After all of that I returned to the deck of the ship, where the green dragon still laid, playing with the ball I fire I had thrown at it. I went up to it's face to thank it, but before I could say anything the dragon opened it's mouth. "Zephina, but you can call me Zeph for short." It answered the question I had been thinking in a girly voice.

And that's when I had woken up. I had created a light so that I could stare at the girl laying on my floor while processing everything. Zeph had woken up at the light and stared back. Gazing into her green eyes, I realized what my dream had meant. If I taught her firebending, she would bring the avatar to me some how.

So now here I was, sitting at the edge of my bed, waiting for Zeph to finish her shower. The first day of training, when she had shot out the ball of lighting, I thought of the green dragon that laid on the deck of the ship. There was no doubt in my mind now that Zeph would become the greatest firebender of all time, and I was going to be her master. I closed my eyes and pictured that ball of lighting. It was so bright, so incredible, if I hadn't of seen it with my own eyes I would have never believed it. I knew that my Uncle could redirect lightning, which was why I had called for him. After finishing training with Zeph that day, I'd pulled him aside and asked him of what he thought about the green-eyed firebender. He merely laughed and said that he wouldn't want to get on her bad side. I had agreed.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I'd registered that the water in the bathroom had shut off, but was to deep in thought to worry about it, let alone hear Zeph sneak up on me. That was why I nearly jumped out of my skin when she wrung out her thick hair over my head, drenching me. "You little..!" I yelled while leaping up off my bed. Zeph stood in front of me, her laughs racking her body as she tried to catch her breath. Growling, I wiped off the bald part of my head and squeezed out my pony tail, only to have more water added to my soaking body when she shook her head.

I spent the next few minuets glaring at Zeph, who continued to laugh uncontrollably. "I," gasp "told" gasp "you" gasp, laugh, more gasping and more laughing. "Karma!" She finally managed a sentence before falling back into another fit of laughter. To see the all powerful green-eyed firebender double over was enough to cause even a stoic prince like me to smile, and sure enough I felt the corners of my mouth twitch upwards.

"Let's just go to dinner." I finally amended. Zeph straightened up but was still ginning like mad. She held out her arm and I took it was a shake of my head. The girl was so strange sometimes. We waltzed out of my room and down the hallway in comfortable silence. And then I heard it. Music.

"What's that?" Zeph asked brightly, swaying slightly along with the beat of my Uncle's horn.

"Shhh!" I pulled the green-eyed firebender up against the wall and began sneaking along it, inching my way cautiously towards the dinning hall. Zeph followed behind me, suddenly concerned. As we passed the open doorway that lead to the deck of the ship I saw a small fire with a couple of the crew and my Uncle sitting around it. I hurried past but the girl behind me stopped and gazed out.

"But Zuko! It's only Uncle Iroh!" Her light voice bounced off the metal walls of the ship, sounding twice as loud, and I flinched.

"Prince Zuko!" Iroh called out, standing up. "Why don't you and the lady come join us for music night? I'll even let you play some!"

I was about to respectfully decline my Uncle's offer when Zeph caught my hand and practically dragged me out onto the open deck. We reached the music circle in record time. At least Zeph didn't make me play when my Uncle offered again. Instead, she watched enraptured as my Uncle picked up an ukelele and began to sing the Little Soldier Boy song. Iroh's gravely voice sang out into the night. My head bowed as I listened to the song. I knew it was about my cousin, Lu Ten, who had died in the siege of Ba Sing Se. Suddenly I was thrown into a million little flashbacks. When I had first been banished, at the young age of 13, I had had nightmares about the Agni Kai with my father. I'd wake up screaming and crying, just wishing I could go home. That's when my Uncle would come in with his ukelele, singing this song. It always put me back to sleep, it always comforted me.

At the end of the song Iroh wiped his eyes, then strummed to band up. They began to play more lively music, and Zeph spun around to face me, a big smile plastered on her face. "Let's dance!" Her cheery voice called out.

"I don't dance." I tried to avoid her accusing glare by looking out over the side of the ship at the bright orange and red sunset. It sure was beautiful, the warm colors against the frozen backdrop. Despite my original intent to avoid Zeph, my gaze was drawn back to her magnetic green eyes. There was so much in them, sadness, happiness, power, loneliness. I watched warily as her expression went from slightly offended to pleading.

"Please, Zuko!" She clutched her hands against her chest and gave me the puppy dog eyes. I was going to deny her again, but for some reason I couldn't form the words. After a couple of seconds of me unable to say anything, I sighed and the green-eyed firebender squealed.

"I'll take that as a yes!" She grabbed my hand and before I knew it we were in the middle of the deck, twirling around. I gave a little chuckle at Zeph's face as we danced. Her brow was furrowed as she tried to concentrate. She looked like she was firebending.

"This time." I whispered in her ear as I spun around her back. "It actually is a dance." My revolution continued until I was once again facing her. "Try to loosen up."

"Says the prince who wouldn't dance in the first place." Zeph huffed back as she swung out her leg in a firebending move. I was half-surprised that no fire or lightning came out, but then I got a wonderful idea. As the last chord of the song was struck, I smiled almost evilly at my dancing partner before running back to the music circle and speaking to my Uncle. "What did you say." Zeph asked as she watched me through narrowed eyes. I came jogging back to her to see her hands on her hips.

"Nothing, its just that you seemed to want to dance the firebender's dance so I put in a song request." I smiled again and suddenly the music started back up. But this time, it sounded sinister. I slid easily into a semi-crouch, my legs equally apart, my center of gravity low. Zeph followed my action and we raised our hands, our thumbs tucked in and our fingers straight, as if we were about to spar. Then, the melody came in and we moved. Although no fire was thrown, our movements mimicked the sets. I circled Zeph and she circled me, keeping eye contact. I smirked as I jumped over her in a front flip, but as soon as I landed behind her she back flipped over me so that we were once again face to face. Time seemed at a stand still as we continued to flip around, coming very close to hitting each other but never straying to far from the actual dance. All to soon the song ended and I was left crouching across from Zeph, the two of us panting.

Once I had caught my breath, I stood out of my crouch and my partner did too. We bowed to each other, grinning at our sudden formality. Turning swiftly on my heel, I headed back inside the ship, Zeph right behind me. She caught up with me and I took her arm once again, just like music night had never happened. Right before we disappeared completely inside, I heard my Uncle say "She's good for him" to the rest of the crew members.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Okay, okay. I know it's been FOREVER since I've last updated, but winterguard's started and I have practice and all this other jazz so ya, I don't have a lot of time on my hands. But! The good news is I've mapped out the rest of this story and let me tell you, it's pretty climactic! So enjoy and review. P.S. I'm sorry it took so long!**

Zeph's POV

After three weeks at sea with Zuko, it was easy to tell when something new was happening. I was awoken by a strange energy in the air. It hummed all around me and caused me to sit up straight. The lower half of my body was envelope in warmth and comfort, the bed practically cradling me. Every since music night, I'd slept with Zuko in his bed. Of course I stayed on my side, or at least tried to, but somehow we always ended up holding each other. Which led to a lot of embarrassment in the morning but he never made me leave. I was happy about that, because the floor had nothing on this bed from heaven. Still there was something very different about today. My upper half almost matched my lower half, even though I wasn't laying down any more. It was warm. Normally by now I'd have goose bumps that I would have to ignore while getting ready for training. Another thing out of place, why wasn't Zuko in here yelling at me to get up? Surely it was after sunrise.

All of the strange events finally drove me from the warm bed. Not that the temperature was much different or anything, it was even border-line hot. And it felt great. I shuffled down the long hallway, not passing a soul. Where was everybody? Just as I was beginning to worry, I broke out into the bright sunshine. It seemed as if the whole crew was out on the deck of the ship. As I made my way through the mass of people, I was greeted by warm 'hello!'s and things similar to that. I replied respectfully back, a little confused but still smiling. Who couldn't help but smile and be genuinely happy when the weather was as beautiful as this. It was true Fire Nation weather, giving me a sense of homesickness.

_As if I had a home in the Fire Nation. _I thought to myself, having to stop from frowning. No, I shouldn't think of things like that today, today was a happy day for some reason. Which brought me back to my original intent, finding Zuko. Taking a "wild" guess, I made my way over to the staircase and climbed up to the second deck of the ship. Sure enough I was graced by the sight of the Prince's back as he gazed out over the ocean. I approached him and gently laid my hand on his shoulder, not wanting to startle him but knowing I wouldn't be rebuked.

As soon as he felt my touch Zuko turned around, a wide smile on his face. Well, half of his face. Though his mouth still smiled on the left, nothing but hatred ever reached his scarred eye. His right eye, on the other had, was currently lit up with excitement. "I have a surprise for you." He said, pointing out to the sea. I made my way to the rail and gasped. About a mile away was an island, Ember Island. Though I grew up on the mainland, the island had been my birthplace, or so I'd been told. Just seeing it gave me a connection to my past.

"What are we doing here?" I breathed out, taking one last look at the magnificent shoreline before turning back to Zuko.

"We're here for you, Zeph." He replied, brushing past me to lean his elbows on the railing. "You're going to become a master firebender on this island." His word's had a ring of finality to them that I couldn't question. But the exact reason why we were stopping on the island wasn't my main concern.

"But, it's clearly in the Fire Nation, and last I heard you were still banished." I tried to say it a gently as I could but I could still see a flash of resentment go through his left eye.

"Oh, we'll go undercover, of course." Zuko tried to keep the tone light, even playful. "We'll get to be super spies!" Such a childish sentence deserved some credit, and I found myself laughing at the new prince.

"Super spies! I like that." I smiled warmly at him before turning eagerly back to the railing. I couldn't wait to get on shore!

It was hot. And that was an understatement. The sun beat viciously down on my hat covered head. I was already beginning to sweat under my heavy dress with long sleeves and a high neck, and we had just stepped off the ship! But I couldn't complain. We were on land, not to mention that said land was my birth place. That enough was to make any girl happy. Zuko and I were strolling arm-in-arm through the lazy port town. He was dressed similar to me, and his ponytail had been let down under his hat. We could not be recognized. Behind us some of Zuko's guards trailed us, out of uniform, keeping an eye out for trouble but at the same time trying to look like they weren't with us.

Even though no one could tell who we were, we still attracted a lot of stares. After all, we were covered from head to toe while most were in shorts and short sleeved shirts. I felt a strange connection with the banished prince as we wandered through the town, both of us were so easily recognizable. Zuko had his scarred face and all one had to do was look in my eyes and see that they were green. Just the thought that we could be recognized made me shiver with fear, but also suppress a giggle of excitement. We were super spies!

"Zeph." Zuko murmured out of the corner of his mouth. My eyes slid over to him but I didn't raise my head. "We are going to my father's house here on the island." The prince must have felt me tense at the mention of the Fire Lord because he began to reassure me. "It's been abandoned for years. Besides, it's the perfect hide out. Full of ghosts and irony." The last sentence flew from his lips with a hard edge of bitterness to it. I squeezed his arm a little tighter but kept silent until we were out of the town.

"Zuko! I'm hot!" I whined. We were currently shuffling up a large hill. Apparently, all we had to do was make it over the hill, go around the base of a volcano, and then descend a little more till we were at the beach on the opposite shore than the one we landed on to reach the Fire Lord's old family get-away. Piece. Of. Cake. Ya right. Zuko and I had dropped arms long ago out of the rising temperature and now we were standing a good length apart. "Can't I at least take off this shawl thing?" I tugged at the itchy fabric that was made for the dead of winter.

"What if someone sees you?" Zuko hissed back, glancing around and seeming overly-paranoid.

"So what? Are they gonna know about my eyes from my arms?"

"Fine do what you like." He amended. Before he had even finished his sentence I'd started ripping the accursed thing off of my body and ended up tossing it to the ground in triumph. The prince rolled his eyes at me before we started back up the hill. "If you're so hot, why don't you try lowering the temperature of your internal fire? That's what I'm doing right now."

"Well that's easy for you, Mr. Normal firebender. I, on the other hand, have a slightly larger internal fire, therefore it'd be extremely hard for me to lower it's temperature." Sarcasm leaked through my teeth like acid as I felt the sun's hot rays beat down all around me. I glanced over at Zuko only to end up staring at him. The sun was shining down just right, and when he lifted his head to meet my gaze it illuminated his whole face. "Hey, your eyes are gold, not amber." I whispered, feeling stupefied.

"Uh, ya." Zuko rubbed the back of his neck and looked down. "It's because I'm royalty."

"How does being a prince constitute having gold eyes?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"Well, it's only found when someone's ancestors were both green-eyed." I felt my eyes widened as I heard this. "My great great grandfather was the last green-eyed Fire Lord, before his son took the throne instead of another green-eyed. And his wife, my great great grandmother, had green eyes too. Since green eyes are so rare, it was and still is the only time that two green-eyed firebenders have fallen in love. As a result, my great grandfather had gold eyes. The trait's passed down through the father's genes so my grandfather got it, then my father, and now me." Zuko had been staring off into the distance as he told this to me, but now he was staring into my eyes.

Slowly, as if I was approaching a wild animal, I reached out and cupped the good side of his face, searching his gold eyes. I didn't know what was to come, but I knew that as long as I had Zuko with me, I'd be okay. After a silent moment, I dropped my hand and we continued up the large hill.


End file.
